News VFL & NEAFL to merge; NAB League to be under 19

[Bunk Moreland]

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AFL clubs in Victoria, Queensland and NSW will be given three options for next year: to field their own teams, strike an alignment or spread their players across multiple clubs.

The NEAFL’s nine clubs — Brisbane, Gold Coast, GWS and Sydney as well as Aspley Hornets, Canberra Demons, Redland Bombers, Southport Sharks and Sydney University — will be invited to join the VFL.

...

The AFL said second-tier football in 2021 would be a “year of transition’’ reflecting the impact of a reduced AFL soft cap, the level of AFL club investment and resources allocated to men’s and women’s football programs, any Player CBA revisions and any associated impact on player list sizes.

At the moment that's up to 25 clubs

Brisbane Lions
Gold Coast
GWS
Sydney
Aspley
Canberra
Redland
Southport
Sydney Uni
Box Hill (Hawthorn)
Casey (Melbourne)
Coburg
Collingwood
Essendon
Footscray (Western Bulldogs)
Frankston
Geelong
Carlton (new CFC reserves?)
Preston (possibly reforming as a standalone)
North Melbourne
Port Melbourne
Richmond
Sandringham (St Kilda)
Werribee
Williamstown

At least some of Aspley, Canberra, Redland, Southport and Sydney Uni will probably instead opt to return to their state league. Plus some more of the AFL clubs and VFL standalones may form affiliations.

 

[Underarm]

Southport the only Neafl club that would be rich enough right?

The travel might be what final kills off Frankston, Coburg and Werribee as well.

 

[Redline]

Is the under 19 comp change a one off or ongoing? Is there still a VFL reserves?

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Southport the only Neafl club that would be rich enough right?

The travel might be what final kills off Frankston, Coburg and Werribee as well.

I think there'll be some kind of conference system with very little (if any) travel for the standalones. And / or the AFL will pay for it.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Is the under 19 comp change a one off or ongoing? Is there still a VFL reserves?

VFL reserves disappeared a few years ago. NAB League change sounds permanent. I don't think the draft will change, but those who aren't drafted will be able to play again in the NAB League.

 

[Redline]

This seems a bit pointless in the fact that it may as well be an AFL reserves comp. It's feels like that is what they want but don't want to make that decision so will let it unfold naturally.

They should just call it an AFL reserves and let the States each have their own comp.

Go back to aligning u17 and u19 with VFL clubs.

 

[Kwality]

Is the under 19 comp change a one off or ongoing? Is there still a VFL reserves?

WA Colts has been U19 pre national comp, the same League, reserves, 3rds, that ran everywhere before the elite pathway model.
As a cost saving measure the number of clubs must be cut.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

This seems a bit pointless in the fact that it may as well be an AFL reserves comp. It's feels like that is what they want but don't want to make that decision so will let it unfold naturally.

They should just call it an AFL reserves and let the States each have their own comp.

Go back to aligning u17 and u19 with VFL clubs.

They seems obsessed with getting the four Qld and NSW reserves into a bigger league. That’s why they tried the NEAFL, now they’re bringing them into the VFL.

Dunno if it’s worth all the mucking around. The local state leagues never hurt Brisbane, GWS or Sydney in their successful times. And there’s not much wrong with simply trying to improve the state leagues up there.

 

[Mr north man]

Southport the only Neafl club that would be rich enough right?

The travel might be what final kills off Frankston, Coburg and Werribee as well.

Werribee's ego will want them in the big time and they will con North into an alignment -Takeover by them that will suit their best interest, not North's as Werribee will wear Yellow and Black in the jumper, carry the Name, play on there home ground and will have their own coach.

 

[Arwib]

Southport the only Neafl club that would be rich enough right?

The travel might be what final kills off Frankston, Coburg and Werribee as well.

Canberra and Aspley are also backed by substantial pokies. I don't think going from a 200-300k to 500k (?) salary cap would be too hard for them.

Travel in the NEAFL is fully funded, I assume a roughly equivalent travel load (maybe half a dozen teams flying each week?) will likely be funded in this merged comp too.

Not sure what might happen with Uni, and not sure what Redland's situation is like.

 

[melbournemartin]

Do we expect the NAB league to still have a weird fixture where the northern academy teams + NT compete in 5-7 games and those games sort of count for finals, but those teams can't actually make finals?*

* with finals "qualification" being a somewhat mute point given 13/13 Victorian (+ Tas) teams being guaranteed to make at least the wildcard finals round.

 

[Pykie]

Do we expect the NAB league to still have a weird fixture where the northern academy teams + NT compete in 5-7 games and those games sort of count for finals, but those teams can't actually make finals?*

* with finals "qualification" being a somewhat mute point given 13/13 Victorian (+ Tas) teams being guaranteed to make at least the wildcard finals round.

I imagine the VFL fixture might be somewhat similar.

Although Southport may realistically be the only club outside of the northern AFL reserves sides that can afford it.

VFL travel would then follow AFL matches most of the time when their senior sides are traveling up to NSW and QLD and those clubs down to VIC.

More unaligned signs actually makes it a lot messier...

 

[Yeti]

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At the moment that's up to 25 clubs

Brisbane Lions
Gold Coast
GWS
Sydney
Aspley
Canberra
Redland
Southport
Sydney Uni
Box Hill (Hawthorn)
Casey (Melbourne)
Coburg
Collingwood
Essendon
Footscray (Western Bulldogs)
Frankston
Geelong
Carlton (new CFC reserves?)
Preston (possibly reforming as a standalone)
North Melbourne
Port Melbourne
Richmond
Sandringham (St Kilda)
Werribee
Williamstown

At least some of Aspley, Canberra, Redland, Southport and Sydney Uni will probably instead opt to return to their state league. Plus some more of the AFL clubs and VFL standalones may form affiliations.

Canberra aren't able to "return" to the state league as they pull players from all AFL Canberra clubs to make 1 NEAFL team.

I wouldn't count them out yet.

 

[mightymouse75]

It seems afl house can't let anything sit for a couple of years. Rules, umpiring, drafting. It's not pro active it's unsettling.

 

[Noobz0r]

The first of a few steps in making AFL reserves a reality.

 

[The Final Word]

Be interesting to see the effect on VFL players over 25. Can't see too many sticking around if they're not on an AFL list.

Stand to be corrected but pretty sure you can earn far more in suburban or country footy in Vic, so unless you're a Michael Barlow, James Podsiadly, Michael Gibbons or Brodie Mihocek type who is hanging onto a chance to get drafted, you're probably going to save yourself the travel and impact on the family, play for a club that's within 20min and plays all games, home or away, within a 45min drive from your home.

 

[DavyRed]

Sydney/Canberra based players should see this as very good news if the likes of Sydney Uni and Canberra Demons do participate.

They can stay based close to home, aim to play in the highest level competition below AFL and, if they still cling to very slim hopes of getting drafted, have a much better chance of getting noticed by recruiters without having to move to Melbourne or Adelaide (NEAFL was a dismal failure in that regard).

 

[BomberDee]

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At the moment that's up to 25 clubs

Brisbane Lions
Gold Coast
GWS
Sydney
Aspley
Canberra
Redland
Southport
Sydney Uni
Box Hill (Hawthorn)
Casey (Melbourne)
Coburg
Collingwood
Essendon
Footscray (Western Bulldogs)
Frankston
Geelong
Carlton (new CFC reserves?)
Preston (possibly reforming as a standalone)
North Melbourne
Port Melbourne
Richmond
Sandringham (St Kilda)
Werribee
Williamstown

At least some of Aspley, Canberra, Redland, Southport and Sydney Uni will probably instead opt to return to their state league. Plus some more of the AFL clubs and VFL standalones may form affiliations.

North Melbourne has shut down its stand alone reserves team, will possibly align with a VFL team...